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Earlier Daylight Savings Time could wreak havoc on electronic devices
Published February 28, 2007 - BizTimes Daily
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With Daylight Savings Time coming three weeks earlier this year, businesses and consumers should be aware that computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), servers, automobiles, operating systems and software applications may not properly react to the new schedule, IT experts say.
Daylight Savings will go into effect March 11, instead of what normally would be April 1, as the Energy Policy Act of 2005 comes into effect. In 2005, U.S. Congress passed the Energy Policy Act, creating four more weeks of extended sunlight for energy conservation purposes. Come this fall, Daylight Savings will end on Nov. 4, instead of Oct. 28.
However, many electronic devices are not programmed with the changed dates.
"There needs to be some effort, but this is not as big of a problem as things like Y2K," said David Smith, vice president of Technology Futures Inc. in Austin, Texas. "Systems are not going to stop working because of it. There might be things time-stamped wrong or instances where an alarm does not go off or a process does not start when you think it should start, for example the time stamp for voice mail on a phone system."
A recent report by Gartner Inc., based in Stamford, Conn., predicts that the issue could cause mass confusion on an international level, ranging from bank processes, stock trade purchases and the arrivals and departures of airplanes.
"If a company is small with some simple scheduling needs, the impact may be low, but if a large company needs to schedule its workforce with an automated application, it could be a significant issue," said Gregg Tushaus, chief executive officer of Wauwatosa-based Tushaus Computer Services Inc.
Operators of both home and office computers should visit the Microsoft Daylight Savings Time Help and Support Center at http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst to determine if any actions need to be taken to keep their systems operating properly, according to Deron Kling, technology manager for the Milwaukee office of Wipfli LLP, based in Wausau.
Paul Riedl, CEO of Glendale-based River Run Computers Inc., said businesses and consumers need to go through their applications and computer systems and conduct an IT assessment to make sure they are aware of all applications that may be affected by the time change, make the correct patches and changes (some may have to be done manually) and then go back on March 11 to make sure everything is in sync.
For businesses with custom-made software applications and systems, the manufacturer or developer should be contacted for advice.
Businesses and consumers should be aware that if they make the changes manually by simply changing the time clock on their electronic devices, they may need to do so again on April 1, because the automatic settings could again spring the clock another hour forward. They also could have complications this fall.
"It is not the end of the world," Riedl said. "It is just a little more daylight."
